


Happy Birthday Crichton!

by Shadadukal



Category: Farscape
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-02
Updated: 2006-12-02
Packaged: 2017-10-14 07:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadadukal/pseuds/Shadadukal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set between "Won't get fooled again" and "The Locket".</p><p>Written for the 11th Starburst challenge at Terra Firma about "Gratitude".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Birthday Crichton!

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: Officersun524 at Live Journal
> 
> This fic is dedicated to the lovely Aruna7 for being such a great spirit fairy at the 2006 Burbank con.

John heads for the Center Chamber, late for last meal. It's been nagging at him for days, something important, something that he feels he's forgotten from his encounter with the Scarran on the commerce planet. It's driving him crazy.

When he walks in the Center Chamber, he immediately sees that the table is laden with dishes. Chiana has apparently been cooking again. But that's not the weird part. The weird part is that nobody's eating. D'Argo even seems to be holding Rygel back. What the frell is going on?

"Happy birthday old man!" Chiana exclaims as she jumps into his arms. He almost falls backwards from the shock.

"Err… thanks," he says, putting her back down. "But it's not my birthday. I mean, I've lost track of time. It could be months from now."

"That's why we chose a random date. Now is as good a time as any," Zhaan offers.

"Sit down so I can eat, Crichton!" Rygel orders. "That frelling Luxan has been manhandling me for a quarter arn."

"We've got presents for you," Chiana whispers near his ear, turning him towards the corner of the table where a few boxes are displayed.

John sits down near his presents. D'Argo releases his hold on Rygel who instantly begins to load his plate with food. Aeryn hands him a bottle of fellip nectar.

"You gonna open your presents now?" Chiana asks, looking at him eagerly as he takes a swig of fellip nectar.

"Open mine first," Rygel demands, pointing with a chubby finger at the box that rests on the top of the pile.

"Let him eat first," Aeryn interrupts, catching hold of the Hynerian's hand and pushing it aside.

John pokes around his boxes, shaking them up. What could outer space birthday presents be like? What the hell could they be? And how did they even come up with that idea? Suddenly, his stomach growls loudly. Man, he is really starving. He puts the box down and pats Rygel on the head.

"Food first, right, Ryg?" he says.

"The first sensible thing I've heard you say in weekens."

Rygel goes back to his food when he sees the human choosing some for himself.

*

Chiana brings a magnificent cake to the table, the culmination of her culinary efforts. Aeryn slices it with a machete-looking knife that could gut a Hynerian in one swoop while John turns to his pile of presents.

He gives in to Rygel's demand and opens that present first. He almost bursts out laughing. Rygel has gotten him a box of food cubes.

"Thanks Ryg!" he manages to say.

Next comes Zhaan's gift. A purple crystal.

"Is it supposed to have any special property, Blue?" he asks the Delvian.

"The Ilik crystal has calming properties. It brings peace to a room."

John smiles at Zhaan and turns to D'Argo's present. He is speechless when he sees it: a small replica of his module that the big guy has probably carved out of wood himself.

"Wow, thanks, D. That's really cool."

"Mine now," Chiana interrupts, placing her present in his hands. A smile full of mischief adorns her face. He shakes it a bit.

"Oh, better not. Might blow," he teases her. He closes one eye and holds the present at arm's length.

"Oh, come on, Crichton. If I was gonna give you something that explodes, I wouldn't do it here."

"Comforting, Pip. Very comforting."

It probably isn't gonna be dangerous but still…

He unwraps the gift and finds himself with an opaque glass bottle that contains some kind of liquid. The language on the label is of course no help. He looks up at Chiana's face. She has that huge smile on her face.

"Thanks, Pip!" he says, even if he has no idea what she has just offered him.

One present left. Aeryn's.

"Commander," Pilot says from the Clamshell. "Moya and I want to inform you the DRDs have finished bringing our present in your quarters."

"Thank you, Pilot." Huh, they even got Moya and Pilot in on the party.

He picks up Aeryn's gift. Once he has opened it, he finds himself with a brand new pulse pistol in his hands. That is so like Aeryn, buying him weapons, certainly to replace the one he destroyed to kill the Scarran. The new gun fits into his hand perfectly.

"Thank you, Aeryn," he says as he locks eyes with her. She nods slightly, acknowledging his gratitude.

*

John is on his way back to his quarters, carrying the gifts from his female shipmates. Aeryn walks beside him, bearing the replica of his module. Rygel's offering has been left in the Center Chamber once the Hynerian cleared the room.

"Do you know what Moya and Pilot's gift is?" he asks her.

"Something useful," she replies succinctly.

They reach his room. He immediately notices the new piece of furniture. A small set of shelves, clearly of Leviathan origin.

"Moya's grown it specially for you over the last few days. She noticed your quarters were more and more cluttered." She waves a hand in the direction of the various projects he is working on and that take up a lot of the space.

John puts Zhaan and Chiana's gifts on the bed but keeps his new gun in hand.

As Aeryn deposits D'Argo's gift on the bed, she explains: "I thought you could do with another and as there were none left from what the Peacekeepers left behind…"

"Thanks for the birthday party, Aeryn." He remembers a talk he had with her about celebrations on Earth a few weekens ago. He can't find the words to express his gratitude to her, to explain how happy that makes him to have something as simple as a birthday party. He feels really happy for the first time in a long time.

So he takes a step towards her, leans down, and kisses her. She lets him go on for a few microts, even answering a little.

They break away and look at each other. She gives him a small smile to show she understands. He smiles back. She turns to walk out of his quarters.

Suddenly, he asks: "Aeryn, what's Chi given me?"

Aeryn spins around, hesitates for a moment, then says: "Ask D'Argo." And she walks away before he can try to hold her back.

What the frell? John is pretty sure Aeryn knows what is in the bottle. He considers if asking D'Argo is a good idea. Who else could he ask? He doesn't want to ask Chiana herself. Suddenly, the perfect idea occurs to him. He'll ask Pilot. And at the same time, he'll be able to properly thank the symbiont and Moya. Before he heads for the Den, he rummages around his room to find his holster. He has given up on wearing it after he lost the other pulse pistol but he now has use for it again.

Somehow, this new pulse pistol feels different than the others he has used in the past. He examines it closely. He caresses the contoured handgrip. Taking the gun firmly in hand, he aims at an invisible target. Yes, this pulse pistol is definitely different. Maybe he should give it a name. He holsters it and walks out of his quarters to go see Pilot.


End file.
